There are many components in modern electronic equipment which require electrical interconnect devices. An electrical interconnect device is used to establish a conductive path by which one electronic component is coupled with another. For example, a miniature transformer may be connected to a mother board through an electrical interconnect device. In such interconnection arrangements, the geometric dimensions and the electrical characteristics of the device must be matched with the geometric and electrical requirements of the components that are being connected. The geometric requirements relate to the size and configuration of the device, while the electrical requirements relate to the current, frequency, and impedance of the device, for example.
In many applications, standard electrical connectors can be used because connector manufacturers offer a wide range of components that are suitable for a wide variety of applications. On the other hand, the standard electrical interconnect devices that are available are not always suitable for a given application. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary for a non-standard interconnect device to be customized for the given application.
The customized, or non-standard production of an interconnect device can be quite expensive. This is particularly so when it is not anticipated that a large volume of units will be produced because, in such instances, the tooling and production costs are spread over only a relatively small number. Consequently, the cost of a non-standard interconnect device can be prohibitively high in cases in which a small number of devices are needed.